Parker's Family
by Trisha Whitlock
Summary: After the season six finale, there's an important part of the puzzle missing and it's name is Parker. How do Brennan and Booth go about getting a more secure and together family? Even with outside forces wishing to prevent them their Happily Ever After?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This came to me when I was reading other stories where Rebecca had entirely too much control over the Parker/Booth relationship. I never liked how bitchy she was in the show and how mean she was, so I'm changing some things. **

This is also set some time after the season 6 finale, so **SPOILER ALERT** if you haven't seen that episode.

Chapter 1- Hope

It's been about a month since Bones told Booth that she was carrying his baby, and they couldn't be happier. She has had some moments of panic over being a mother and some instances of fear of Booth leaving her to do it on her own, but she shouldn't have let them occur. Booth was happier than she had ever seen him.

They were taking their time in being together but they had known each other so long that it was extremely hard for them to act as though it was a new relationship. It made more sense for them to see it as their relationship evolving into something new and unexpectedly amazing.

Today was a great day. They had an appointment to see their child and hear the heartbeat for the first time. Brennan was nervous yet very much looking forward to their first sound that their child was healthy and thriving. Booth on the other hand was freaking out just a little bit.

"But what if they can't find the heartbeat? What if the doctor doesn't know what she's doing? What if…" Booth was ranting before being cut off by Brennan.

"BOOTH! Dr. Bennett is the best in DC. She's a personal friend and she's very good at her job. Do you believe that I would allow anyone less than amazing at their job to be involved with our child?" Brennan questioned.

"No," he said with conviction but the smallest smirk on his face.

"What's that look on your face for Booth?" Brennan asked.

"Nothing bad Bones, I just like how you said 'our child'," he said with a smile.

"It's not like that is the first instance in which I have said it in that way. I would assume that you would be used to it by now."

"I will never get used to how happy it makes me to know that we are together both in life and in raising this baby. Every time I think about what we have to look forward to, I get the greatest feeling," he said with that smile that was 100% Booth.

His smile was infectious and caused Brennan to smile as well. That sat looking at each other with happiness for a few seconds before they were interrupted by the nurse calling for them.

"Brennan. The doctor will see you now."

"This is it Bones. Are you excited?" Booth asked with a mixture of excitement and fear.

"I'm very excited Booth. I can definitively say that I have never felt this happy in the span of my life so far," Brennan said with a smile.

They walked back to the private room where their appointment would be taking place.

"Since this is a check-up as well as an ultrasound, could you kindly put on this gown to allow the doctor more ease in which to perform the exam?" the nurse asked Brennan.

Brennan responded by nodding and taking the gown from the outstretched hand of the nurse. The nurse wished them a good visit, left and closed the door to grant privacy.

Brennan calmly and unabashedly started to change into her clothes right then and there. Booth, use to her body without clothes said nothing but that isn't to say that he didn't openly look and appreciate the physical attributes of the women he was in love with.

"You don't have to stare Booth. It's not as though my body holds any surprises for you anymore. We have been having sexual intercourse for numerous weeks now," she said after getting changed into the gown. This was also the exact moment that the doctor knocked on the door then walked in.

"Well, it's good to see and hear that you haven't changed that much since our last meeting Dr. Brennan," Dr. Bennett, the OB/GYN, said with a smile. She was extremely attractive with braids and a complexion similar to Cam's.

"I've told you numerous times to call me Temperance, Dr. Bennett."

"And I have told you numerous times to call me Trisha," she countered with a smirk.

"How are you doing Agent Booth?"

"I'm- how did you know my name?" Booth questioned with the smallest hint of weariness.

"Temperance told me on the phone. Is that a problem?" Trisha asked.

"No. It's fine. And to answer your last question, I'm a little nervous," Booth admitted to this woman that he just met.

"That's completely normal. It's to be expected at the first checkup. Happens all the time," she assured him with a comforting smile and tone.

"Well, let's get started Temperance. Have you been having any adverse reactions?" the doctor asked as she started to gently press on Brennan's stomach.

"There has been some nausea but no light-headiness, dizziness or headaches. Is that ok?" Brennan questioned with a little apprehension.

"Yes. Everyone is different. I was just asking because some women go through a terrible case of sickness that leads to me having to admit them to the hospital for lack of nourishment. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing for us to worry about at this point," she said as she finished pressing on Brennan's stomach and moved to the desk to make a note on her files.

"So, are we ready to see the baby?" she asked with a huge smile once she turned away from her desk and towards the ultrasound machine that was in the corner.

Both Brennan and Booth nodded their heads as Dr. Bennett wheeled the machine within reach of the couple. She picked up a bottle that was sitting in a holder on the side of the machine and squirted a generous amount onto Brennan's stomach.

Almost instantly, she turned on the machine and grabbed a wand-like attachment from its holder. She started slowly and gently moving the wand around looking for something in the screen that only she could be sure of. She finally stopped when a clear image came into view. If you were looking at it at just the right way, you could see a little baby. No feet or other appendages were visible but a head was distinctly prominent.

As the doctor pointed this out to her patient and her partner, the two expectant parents couldn't tear their eyes away from what they both saw as a miracle.

While Booth saw it as a second chance at being a good and hands-on father, Brennan saw it as a way to assure the world had one more decent human being in it. Looking at that screen, they both saw all the hope in the world in a tiny, alien look-alike that was in Brennan's womb.

They couldn't be happier. And they made sure that before they left, they got an even dozen pictures so that they would always have proof of their miracle.

On their way back to Brennan's apartment, they stopped to pick up Parker for the weekend. And neither was prepared to let go of their joy so suddenly.

"Where have you been? I've had plans and you are making me late for them." Rebecca told Booth before he could even raise his arm to knock on the door.

"Sorry. We had an appointment and it's only ten minutes. I'd really rather not fight about this right now," Booth sighed in despair as his previous happiness evaporated.

"I don't care what you had to do. If you're late again, I'll see to it that you spend even less time with Parker than you do now."

"Why must you always go there? I'm a good father. You know I'm a good father. It's not fair that you repeatedly threaten me when things don't go exactly your way," Booth said angrily but without raising his voice.

Before either could continue to argue with the other, Parker ran out the door with his bag saying good-bye to his mother.

Parker wasn't stupid. He knew how much hostility his mother always had towards his father and he wasn't particularly in the mood to hear them argue yet again. So before his mother could change her mind, as she had done numerous times in the past, he jumped into the back seat of the car hoping that his dad would hurry up so that they could leave.

"Let's go dad," he said out the window as though he wasn't aware of the looks his parents were giving each other.

Brennan, whom had been staying quietly in the passenger seat since the car had stopped, turned around and looked at Parker with a look that told him that she knew exactly how smart he was about the whole thing.

Booth, unaware of the silent conversation that the two most important people in his life were having, was hurrying along before any blood could be shed between the two exes. Jumping in the driver's seat and driving off seemed like the smartest thing for him to do.

As though nothing was wrong, he talked to Parker about his week at school. "How did you do on that math test this week Bud?"

"I made a 92. But the only reason why I didn't make a hundred was because one of the word problems confused me," Parker responded.

As the two continued to talk, with Brennan inputting her thoughts, they drove off to the other side of town.

Walking into Brennan's apartment, both Booths continued to talk as Brennan pulled out her cell phone and called one of her oldest friends.

"Hey sweetie," Angela answered after just a few rings. If she listened closely enough, she could hear Hodgins in the back doing something that was making the baby coo.

"Hey Ange. Listen, I don't know what you guys' plans are today but could you meet me somewhere? I need you and Hodgins to do me a favor," Brennan said.

"Sure Bren. Is everything alright," Angela questioned. She already knew about the partners finally being together and as much as she wanted them to shout it from the roof tops, she understood that they wanted to take their time to make sure it worked out. She was also aware that there was something else that Bren was hiding, but with her own family to focus on, she was content with allowing her to share in her own time.

"Everything is fine. I just want you guys to meet me at 1800 Luther Blvd in about an hour. Can you guys do that? I know the baby means you take longer to get ready," Brennan said sympathetically.

"No. It's fine. We were on our way to take a walk so now we'll just get in the car and be there in a little bit," Angela assured her friend. She knew that Bren didn't want to inconvenience them if it was preventable.

"Ok. Thanks. I'll see you there in a bit."

"Ok sweetie. Bye."

"Bye."

After getting all three of them dressed, including an eager Parker, who was in on the plan, they left in a little under 30 mins with more than enough time to get 4 blocks to where they needed to be.

Meeting the Hodgins clan on the steps, the six of them proceeded inside of the courthouse. Angela was under the impression that they had some official business to do and needed someone to watch Parker but that thought left her head as she looked at Parker dressed as though he was going to mass, Booth in a nice yet simple suit and Brennan in a light blue dress. She now had an entirely new thought in her head but didn't want to get her hopes up.

Meeting outside of Judge Wearins' office, the six stepped in to see a short yet curvaceous woman with long dark hair and a huge, happy smile firmly fixed on her face.

"So I see we're all here," Judge Wearins said without the smile wavering.

"Yeah…but could someone tell me what we're here for," Angela asked with a mixture of fear, excitement, anticipation and a little anxiety.

"Bones and dad are getting married! Isn't that awesome?" Parker exclaimed in his visible happiness.

Brennan and Booth wore matching content smiles while their friends weren't sure what to say or how to proceed.

_Only Brennan,_ Angela thought to herself.

**A/N: Hope you liked it. Reviews would be much appreciated and I would greatly appreciate any comments, as long as they are constructive, and not just mean.**

**Til next time. *Smiles***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I plan on update about every week as long as the muse allows for it. **

**There was a review that was a critique on what they did and didn't like and I loved it. The reason I loved it is because instead of just saying you didn't like something, you explained what exactly you didn't like and I took that suggestion into consideration when writing this chapter. So please let me know if I fulfilled you wish.**

**And to my Betas, thanks for your help.**

Chapter 2

After a wedding that only took about 10 minutes to perform, the newly married couple signed all the proper paper work and exited out of the Judge's office with an official marriage license.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Hodgins questioned, still in obvious shock over what had just happened.

"Well, traditionally after a marriage ceremony, there is a rambunctious meeting of numerous people to celebrate with both the bride and groom," Brennan said with her normal tone when informing others of things she previously knew.

"It's called a reception Bones," Booth said with a slight shake of his head. Even after all of these years and the many varying moments that they have shared, it still amazed him when she said something like that. And he wouldn't have it any other way. It was just another reason why he loved her.

Their dinner only included the two couples and their children at the restaurant of the late Carly Victor. Booth was most appreciative of this choice due to the amazing mac and cheese that they made here.

They were seated extremely quickly. It might have had something to do with the hostess recognizing Brennan, both as a doctor and as a personal friend of the late head chef.

While waiting for their food, there was a slight silence: shock from the Hodgins' and contentment of the Booths. After a few moments of no one speaking, Brennan broke the silence.

"Ange, can I see the baby?" she asked with a great smile on her face.

"Sure sweetie. Do you want to go to Auntie Tempe?" Angela asked the newborn. As though he heard her, he let out a little grunt.

The table laughed at the antics of the young baby. Angela elaborated that the noise meant that he was hungry. Knowing that she was going to be feeding little Micheal made Brennan even happier than she was before, which was saying something.

Parker wasn't normally this quiet but he did have his father's appetite so he was too busy shoving pieces of the complimentary rolls into his mouth.

While Brennan fed her godson his bottle, Angela finally arranged her thoughts to ask one of the numerous questions floating around in her head.

"So, what made you guys want to elope, let alone get married?" Angela questioned as Hodgins nodded to indicate that he was just as curious.

"Well, there were many reasons. You both already know of Booth's archaic belief in marriage even though I don't share those same thoughts. We sat down and talked about it and I found that as much as it meant to him to get married, it meant more to me to give him something that he wanted," Brennan explained without looking up from the baby.

"And I was so happy that she agreed, I told her that I didn't care if it was by an Elvis impersonator in Vegas while going through a drive-through. I was just happy that she had said yes," Booth said with obvious happiness. Seeing Brennan holding a child made him so anxious for it to be their child that she was holding.

"I figured that the sooner we did it, the happier we would both be. I would appreciate it being over and done with and Booth would appreciate it being official. We were also on a time limit so we wanted to honor that as well," Brennan concluded.

"Time limit? Why? It's not like you're dying….or pregnant," Hodgins said with a small snort.

Angela on the other hand had stopped breathing for fear that if she voiced her thoughts, this would all have been a crazy hallucination. Before she could continue Hodgins' questioning, Brennan replied, "No, I'm not dying, but I am pregnant. And I knew that it would make Booth happy for us to be married before the birth. I also knew that it would give him some assurance that we were on the same book," she said while continuing to stare at the precious cargo in her arms. This is why she was unable to see the shock on her friends' faces.

"It's 'same page' Bones. Same page," Booth corrected with a shake of his head.

The scream that came out of Angela was unheard of to most human ears it was so high-pitched. Booth looked to little Michael for fear that he would have been upset with the noise, but apparently, he was already use to the high decibel that his mother's voice was on. And most importantly, he was entirely too busy eating to care all that much.

"You're pregnant?" Angela managed to squeak out after a few seconds of stunned silence echoed around the restaurant due to her exclamation.

"Yes Angela. That's exactly what I just said. Is there a problem?" Brennan questioned with sincere curiosity.

"NO!...I mean no problem Bren. I was just so shocked. How far along are you?"

"I'm precisely 7 weeks along. We had our first ultra sound today. Would you like to view the pictures?" Brennan asked with excitement.

Little Mikey, as Booth had taken to call him, had finished his bottle and had let out quite a good burp. As he was falling back asleep, Brennan handed him over to his father who placed him back into his carrier insert of the stroller.

"Oh my God yes. I would love to see a picture of little Michael's future playmate."

While Brennan handed over a picture, Booth gave one to Hodgins who was just as happy for his friends as his wife. Well maybe not as happy, but pretty damn close.

"Wow. Congrats guys," Hodgins said happy to be included in an amazing experience.

"Thanks man. We're super excited. But we don't plan on telling anyone," Booth said.

"Why not man? Is there something wrong?" Hodgins questioned trying to ignore the panic to resurface from when he and Angela thought the baby would be born blind.

"No. Nothing like that," Booth assured him, knowing how it would sound to Hodgins.

"We would rather not tell anyone. It's too much hassle. It's another reason that we only invited you guys to the actual "wedding". We didn't want any chaos or stress any more than what we go through on a regular basis. So we decided to let everyone else figure it out by either word of mouth or by our rings. Same thing with the pregnancy. We aren't hiding it but we're not going to actively tell either," Booth said with a shrug.

"Wow. And you decided to tell us both. Why?" Hodgins asked.

"Well, Bones felt that since she was the first person that Angela told about you guys getting married and the baby, it was only right to do the same when she was the one with the news."

"We do plan on telling Cam about the pregnancy due to my future inability to do some things at the lab. And we also are going to tell the proper people at the FBI so that they know without thinking that we were keeping it from them. We're hoping that our past rate of success on cases will positively influence their decision on whether or not they break us up as partners," Brennan said.

"So you plan on still going into the field with Booth?" Angela questioned with more than a little fear in her tone.

"No. I have decided that I would rather get back to my passion of bones. Being in the field was right for the time that it was occurring but I have no want to be out anymore. I choose to leave that to Booth and just hope that he takes less risk and more caution when he's out without me to watch his back," Brennan explained.

"Really?" Booth asked. It wasn't that he wanted her to change her mind, it was that that was exactly what he wanted to happen but he was afraid to upset her by practically demanding she stay in the lab.

"Yes Booth. I know how much you wanted me to do this and that was a factor but I've been thinking about it ever since the Maluku trip. With this baby, it was just the right factor for me to take into account to make the correct decision. I truly believe that even though I will miss being out in the field with you, I'll be immensely happy staying in the lab."

"Wow. That's great Bones. I'm happy that that's the choice you made," Booth said with a smile and a little sigh of relief.

"Let's get back to the baby thing Sweetie," Angela interrupted their smiling at each other.

"How is that going to work with your apartment? It's a bit small for the new family don't you think?" she questioned.

"Well, we have decided to look for a house to accommodate our expanding brood, as Booth likes to call it."

"So where are you looking?" Angela questioned with sincere want to know.

The four friends continued their dinner and conversation of children, babies and homes. After they had their fill on both food and talk, the two families went their separate ways.

XXX

After finding themselves back at Brennan's home, the family of three and a half, the half being the baby, settled into their individual routines for bedtime.

While Booth was in the shower, Brennan helped Parker get situated for bed.

"Bones, may I ask you a question? And do you promise not to get mad?" Parker asked with the look of a child who feared getting in trouble.

"Parker, you may ask me any question at any point in time and I will always make sure that I answer you to the best and most honest ability that I can," she assured him. "And I could never get mad at you for asking a question Parker."

"Ok. I was just wondering if you're going to like the baby more than me. You know, because it's really yours and I'm not," Parker said as he put his head down. He wanted to know what her answer would be, but he also was scared to hear what she said. He knew that Bones rarely, if ever, lied so whatever her answer was, it would be her honest thoughts on the matter.

"Parker, I love you. You are one of the only people in the world whom I trust. And that says a lot because I am not known to trust easily. And if you would allow me, I would love to be one of the people that you feel that way about as well."

Parker smiled at her answer, but he did notice that she didn't respond to what he truly wanted to know.

As though she knew exactly what he was thinking, "And there is no way that I could love either of you more than the other. I may not be the woman to give birth to you. And I'm not one of the people that has been with you since you came into this world, but on some very logical and sentimental level, I love you as if you were already my child. I don't say this to undermine your biological parents or to put myself over your mother, but I can only speak the truth. And the truth is that you are now, and will always be the first child that I have ever been a mother to, even if not in as great a capacity as others. So to "like" you more or less than this baby would be impossible. I love and "like" you both equally. Do you understand all of that?" Brennan questioned after what she saw as a descriptive and deeply revealing speech.

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks Bones. And I love you too," Parker said as he threw himself into her arms and hugging her harder than he ever had before. Brennan responded by wrapping her own arms around him and hugging him just as fiercely.

Booth, who had finished his shower a few moments before, stood outside the room listening to the two, almost three, most important people in his life get along. He snuck away from the doorway before either of them noticed him.

It touched him in a profound way that they loved each other. That was one of the many things missing in a lot of his relationships, Parkers acceptance in who he was dating.

XXX

The weekend saw the newly bound family going to parks and simply enjoying themselves before the hectic-ness of the new week was upon them.

On Sunday evening, they found themselves outside of the Parker's normal home with his mother and whichever guy she was dating at the time. As Brennan stayed in the car, Booth walked his son up to his door.

When Rebecca opened the door wide enough for Parker to enter, Booth said his good-byes and allowed his son to leave him once again. But before Rebecca could close the door in his face like she normally did when he came over, Booth put up his hand to stop it.

"What Booth? Paul is waiting for us for dinner and I'm sure your _Bones_ is waiting for you," she said with a disinterested tone.

"Yeah, but I was just wondering if we could get together this week sometime to talk about some things," Booth told her, even though he really wasn't expecting her to cooperate with him. She rarely had in the past so he was not thinking that she would in the future.

"Whatever Booth, we'll set up a time later," she said with an eye-roll before closing the door in his face so abruptly that he wasn't able to say anything else on the matter.

As much as he wished to continue their conversation, he took a deep breath and decided to let it go for now. But he did add it to the list of things that he wished to discuss with her when they met up later.

Going back to the car to his new wife, they drove off back to their place to once again celebrate their union with a whole other type of union.

XXX

After a few hours of wedded bliss, they were awoken by insistent knocking. Booth pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt while Brennan opted just to pull on her robe.

They both went to the door. Booth looked through the peephole with a confused look but before Brennan could question it, he pulled the door open to an angry Rebecca.

Before either had the chance to invite her in, she stormed in with a clear and visible attitude problem.

"Why in the world am I hearing that you and _her_ are married from my son and not from you?" she demanded. And even though she did not yell, it was evident that that was due to severe control on her part.

"That was one of the reasons that we wanted to talk to you. That among other things is something that we need to sit down and talk about," Booth tried to explain without allowing his own anger at her callousness to come out.

"Well, I hope you know this doesn't change a thing. Actually, I may even limit you more from Parker's life because of this," she said matter-of-factly.

"You can't do that," Booth heard himself say to this woman for the infinite time.

"I can do whatever the hell I want to Seeley. I am Parker's mother and there is nothing you or your _wife_ can do about it," she practically sneered.

"Well I am his father and I have rights."

"We were never married. You have no rights except what I allow you."

"Actually," Brennan interrupted, "he does have rights. Legally, he has the same rights as you do and you are at no time able to determine how much time he has with his child. In this day and age, that would be up to a judge under the court of law."

"Is that a threat?" Rebecca said with a sneer.

Before Booth could say anything, "Yes, it is. And you'll be hearing from our lawyers on the matter," Brennan said with a determined tone.

"How dare you, you-" Rebecca tried to say before she was once again stopped by Brennan.

"I dare. And I can see that you wish to once again say some other false hoods or spout off more insults so before you revert back to the small-minded and rude person that you are, I will have my say. Booth is an amazing father and even more amazing for putting up with your incorrect manipulation of his love for his son and his fear of losing him. Now that we are married, I do have a say in this circus that the two of you have been involved in. Parker is a growing boy who deserves a mother and father whom are willing to work together to make his happiness and well-being their priority, but seeing as how it seems only Booth is trying, I will now step in on his behalf," Brennan said with the straightest face.

"Booth has rights and since you are not willing to talk this out in a civilized manner, we will see you in court. Now I suggest you remove yourself on your own from our home or I will help you."

Rebecca was so shocked that there was nothing else for her to do but stumble towards the door.

"And one more thing, I know how much you appreciate Booth being afraid of how easily you control him, but as his wife, I will no longer tolerate you and your control. And you would do well to remember that I am not a person that you would ever wish to go against. But since you have already made that decision, I will see it to the end. And you most definitely will not approve of how this will turn out, but remember, you brought this own yourself."

And with that, the trumpets might well have sounded, because a battle was underway.

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. They are extremely appreciated. **

**Review and let me know what you think of Brennan saying what she needs to say. Also, I need baby names. Both boy and girl. I have a few floating around but I'm not definitive on any of them yet.**

**helikesitheymikey – I was unable to send you a personal message like the others but thanks for the review.**

**Anonymous reviewers – I appreciate the reviews and tried to incorporate what you wanted.**

**Concerning updates, I will try my sincere hardest to update approximately every week.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks so much for the amazing reviews. They give me a boost to keep writing. **

**To answer some of the reviews, yes, there will be a custody battle and I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to have it turn out yet. I had plans for it but I keep changing my mind.**

**But as long as my lovely reviewers continue to review and tell me what they want, I'll be more than happy to use some of your suggestions. **

**Once again, huge thanks to my Betas. They're awesome. **

Chapter 3

After Rebecca had vacated the premises, Booth continued to stand there speechless. He wasn't sure if that had all actually just happened.

Brennan, on the other hand, was quite sure about her plans for their family. She had already lost her family once before in her life and she refused to give up this time.

Booth, realizing that they needed to sit down and talk about this, grabbed his wife's hand and led her to the couch to sit.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"Rebecca came here wanting to know why-" Brennan started to rehash the previous events before she was interrupted by her husband.

"No. I know what happened. I was just wondering about all that you said to her. You never told me you felt that way," Booth said with a touch of wonder over her support of him.

"I previously haven't felt that it was my place Booth. We really haven't dated in the traditional way. Before we were together, officially, I was just your work partner," Brennan explained to the best of her ability.

"Bones, we both know that you have rarely, if ever been just a work partner. I do understand what you're saying though."

"I just never wanted to say something that would prevent you even more time with your son. But now that we're married, he's my son too. Not in the way of you or Rebecca but as his step-mother, it's also my job as well as yours to make sure that he is living happily and fulfilled."

"Thank you so much. I know I don't tell you enough but the way you love Parker makes me so happy. You love him like a parent but never try to tell me what to do. I really appreciate that."

Booth leaned over to slowly kiss her. Brennan readily reciprocated the kiss and it slowly turned into more than just a kiss.

The couple were soon embraced in a way that only madly in love people were.

XXX

The next morning found the couple in the car on their way to their respective jobs. But before they separated, they had appointments with both Cullen and Cam to discuss and let them know of their recent advancements.

Cam was on her way to the FBI headquarters to have a meeting. She was unsure of why she would need to be there but just assumed that it had to do with a case that they would need her input on. She soon found herself sitting in a conference room with Director Cullen. It was obvious that he was unaware of why this meeting was called as well. That fact scared her just a little.

Before either of them could really dwell on why they were here, Booth and Brennan walked in. Brennan went to sit down while Booth closed and locked the door. That did nothing to subdue the rising fear in the other two occupants.

Booth went and sat next to Brennan. He wanted to grab her hand and hold it like he was use to but he didn't want to tip them off too quick.

Cam, never one to pull a punch, quickly questioned them.

"Why are we here Seeley, Dr. Brennan?"

"Don't call me Seeley, Camille. And if you would give us a second, we'll be happy to tell you why you both are here."

"Well get on with it Booth. I do have other things to do," Cullen grunted out in that way that he said everything.

"Well, me and Bones have an announcement to make, well, actually multiple announcement," Booth started.

"So…?" Cam asked in an impatient yet curious tone.

"Bones?" Booth looked at Brennan.

Brennan, quite tired of explaining and knowing they had much more to talk about simple held out her left hand, where her wedding band stood out proudly.

Both Booth and Brennan had deep smiles on their face, while Cam and Cullen wore shocked expressions.

"Damn it!" Cullen exclaimed.

"What?" asked Brennan.

"I lost," he practically pouted. At their questioning looks, he elaborated, "Me and my wife had a bet and I lost. She said that you wouldn't tell us anything until you got married. I said you would say something when you started dating. I obviously lost though. This is going to make her day," he mumbled the last bit to himself.

Cam on the other hand was so happy. Not many people would be understanding of why she was so happy that a man she had previously dated was married to another woman, but they wouldn't know how much she felt that they really belonged together.

"Wow. I can't believe this, but I can at the same time."

"Cam, that doesn't make any sense. You either believe it or you don't. Which is it?" Brennan questioned.

"Too literal Bones," Booth said with a smile at his love.

"Oh. Ok."

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan, I was just so shocked but I am so happy for the two of you," Cam said.

"Actually, we have more news," Booth said cautiously.

"What now?" Cullen asked still smarting over the bet he lost.

"I'm pregnant," Brennan simply said.

You could have set off a bomb in that office and Cam and Cullen wouldn't have been any where near as surprised as they were by the information they were just given.

"We aren't telling anyone else. We would rather they figure it out on their own, but we felt that you two deserved to know because since I'm now pregnant, I am no longer going to be going out in the field. I plan on focusing more on my role as a scientist," Brennan continued without stopping.

"I'm sure you're ok with this Director Cullen because I know how much you didn't like me going out in the field in the first place. We also wanted you to know Cam so that it doesn't surprise you since you are technically in charge of the relationship between the Jeffersonian and the FBI," Brennan explained.

"Thanks for um, letting me know Dr. Brennan. And are you sure that you don't want to tell anyone else?" Cam asked.

"Yes, we're sure. We don't mind if someone asks you for you to tell them but we would prefer if you didn't talk about us in a gossiping way. We have nothing to hide but we see no reason why everyone is entitled to something that really has nothing to do with them," Brennan said a bit heatedly.

Sensing Brennan's increasing impatience with the topic at hand, Cullen decided to end the meeting, "Well if that's all Booth, I'll get back to work. But I would like to wish you congratulations on your marriage and your child. Having a child is something that is unbelievably amazing. It can give you more purpose than you ever thought," he said with a hint of sadness. The others understood that he was speaking from the heart.

"Just make sure that you cherish all the time you have. Sometimes it's taken from you without your permission and you miss out," he said before he left the conference room.

They all embraced the lost memory of little Amy Cullen who had no choice but to embrace her loosing fight with lung cancer. It made Temperance even more aware of how lucky she was. It also made Cam think about Michelle and how much she really wanted to go and hug her at that moment.

Booth was thinking about Parker and how much he wished he had more time with him. He wasn't all that worried about the baby though. He knew that Brennan would never do that to him or their child, even if they didn't work out in the end. Though he had plans to make sure that they stayed together for their promise 40, 50 years.

Since Booth had some paperwork to do in his office, Cam was going to drive both herself and Brennan back to the lab.

On their way to the elevator where they would separate for the time being, they ran into Sweets.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked in a boyish tone.

Brennan and Booth had previously talked about what they would tell Sweets. And as much as they valued him for his job and as a friend, Booth felt it necessary to mess with him, just a little bit.

"Sweets, you just missed the news," Booth set up.

"What news? Why wasn't I there to hear about it?" Sweets asked with a pout.

"It's not that monumental Booth. I was just telling Cullen and Cam that I will no longer be going out into the field with Booth," Brennan said with a deliberate nonchalant tone.

"What?" Sweets squeaked out in surprise.

"Yeah. Hey, doesn't that mean that we no longer need to go to you for partner counseling?" Booth questioned even though they all knew what the answer was.

Cam had stayed silent throughout the entire exchange for risk of revealing something. She was also quiet because she was enjoying Booth and Brennan's manipulation of Sweets.

Before Sweets could say or do anything, the rest of the people present started to move.

"Well, I guess we won't be seeing much of each other Sweets. I have appreciated you for your input on cases even though I see what you do as not scientific at all," Brennan continued to play along with Booth's plans.

"I'll try to see you for lunch later on Bones," Booth said as he walked towards his office.

"Ok Booth, but I might be working," Brennan replied as she and Cam made their way into the waiting elevator.

"Just don't be surprised when you see me," Booth said with a smile to his wife and friend.

As the three of them left, Sweets stood in the hallway without a clue as to how he was supposed to respond to the things he was just told. Eventually, he walked back to his office to think about all that went down.

XXX

Cam and Brennan found themselves in the lab with them both going about their business in their respective offices.

Brennan made her way to her desk to make a most important phone call.

"Hello. Ms. Church? Yes, this is Dr. Brennan with the Jeffersonian. My husband and I would like to activate our retainer. Could we possibly make an appointment to discuss our case further?" Brennan questioned her lawyer.

"Good, thank you. I'll let Booth know. It was nice speaking to you as well. Have a nice day and we'll see you soon," Brennan finished her phone call.

After getting off of the phone, Brennan called Booth to let him know about their appointment.

They talked more about it at lunch.

XXX

"Are you prepared for this Booth? It wouldn't be an incorrect assumption that Rebecca will bring up all of the things that could look unfavorably against you," Brennan warned.

"I know Bones. These days, I would put nothing past her," Booth sighed while holding his wife's hand. He slowly stroked one of his fingers across her hand while they were waiting for their food.

"I just want you to be prepared on her talking about your father and the gambling. As well as your time in the service. She may try to use that information to color you as a bad father."

"It's paint as, not color as," he said with a smile. "You know what? I love you Bones. You being you is just a reminder of why I love you."

"I love you too Booth. And yes, I did already know that. We did just get married," she said.

"I know. Just saying Bones," he said, leaning over a giving her a nice and sweet kiss on the lips.

Neither noticed a man with a camera taking their picture from outside the diner, and across the street.

**A/N: Once again, thank you so much for the reviews. I tried to respond to each one but some of you have private messaging disabled. And then there are those you are anonymous. But I love all reviews. **

**Not to sound ungrateful for the reviews I already get but there are dozens of favorites and alerts on this story and I would really like it if the reviews would portray that.**

**There were a few that let me know of baby names that they liked and it's much appreciated. **

**For this chapter, I ask how you would want the rest of the team finding out about them. You can tell that I enjoy having some fun with Sweets, but there are the rest of the squints and Max is always randomly popping up. **

**So let me know by sending me a review, even if it's two words, it'll be appreciated. **

**Thanks, Trisha Whitlock. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so grateful to my beta, Melissa, for always reading over these chapters and giving me her honest opinion about them. It's very helpful.**

**I also very much appreciate all of you who reviewed. To those that review, I will start PMing you spoilers to the next chapter before it's updated. Hopefully that will help a lot of you get motivation to review from now on.**

**I'm not above begging and bribery for reviews. **

**Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 4

After a pretty normal workday, Brennan and Booth made their way home. They had decided that after dinner, they would sit down and look at some of the homes that Bones' real estate agent was able to get on such short notice.

It probably helped that it was Dr. Temperance Brennan that the house was for.

In instances like that, Booth didn't mind using his love's celebrity status to get ahead.

XXX

"What about this house?" Booth asked as he turned the laptop that they were looking at more in her direction.

"I'm not sure if that's suitable Booth."

"Why not? It has the four bedrooms you want so you can have an office and the kids can have their own room," Booth said.

"That's not enough rooms for us Booth. We need a room for us, a room for Parker, a room for the baby, a room for the office, and another room for guests or if we decide to expand our family, even more. What if we want another two kids after we have this one?" she asked as she put her hand on her stomach. She was doing that more frequently these days.

"Wow Bones. First of all, how about we have this one safe and sound in the world before we try to start on our own baseball team," Booth said a little nervously.

"Do you not want any more kids?" Brennan asked as she saw his nerves. She wasn't sure if she wanted more children herself but she was not above ruling it out.

"I don't know Bones. I honestly haven't put that much thought into it in all honest. I've just been so focused on Parker and this baby…"

"It's ok Booth. I understand. But we do need to talk about this more. I've recently thought about adopting as well so that is also another thing we should discuss at a later time," Brennan reassured her husband.

"Adopt? I guess that makes sense. But when were you going to tell me about these things?" Booth asked.

"I wasn't deliberately keeping you in the black Booth. I'm still thinking about it myself."

"It's 'in the _dark'_, not in the black," Booth corrected with his same in love smile he had whenever she said something like that.

"You know what I meant," Brennan defended in a playful manner.

"Sure Bones," Booth said with a chuckle.

As she walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed, she could still hear him laughing at her.

XXX

The next day at the lab was when a lot of the interns started to suspect that something was weird about Dr. Brennan.

At the moment, she was in her office eating chips and dip. This wasn't what was causing the interns to become curious. It was the fact that the chips were nacho cheese Doritos and the dip was lime sherbet with skittles and m&m's mixed in.

Arastoo was the first to figure it out, but his massive respect for Dr. Brennan had him keep it to himself. Though he did ask her out right about it.

"Dr. Brennan?" he questioned as he came into her office and closed the door.

"Yes, Mr. Vasiri, what can I help you with?" she questioned as she continued to eat her snack.

"Excuse my forwardness Dr. Brennan but I was wondering if I could be permitted to ask you a more personal question?"

"Proceed Mr. Vasiri."

"Are you, by any chance, pregnant?" he quickly questioned before he lost the opportunity or was interrupted.

"Uh-Yes, yes I am. Can I ask what helped you reach the correct conclusion?" Brennan questioned with genuine want to know.

"Well, the eating of weird flavors of foods was the tip off. The tartness of the lime with the sweetness of the skittles and the savory-ness of the chips combine in such a way that suggested your condition. But ultimately, it was the steady widening of your gait to accommodate for the developing fetus," Arastoo finished not sure if he had offended his teacher and mentor.

"Very good Mr. Vasiri. I was wondering if any of my interns would find out due to my bones and their shifting. I see that you will do well in your observations and in this field Mr. Vasiri," she praised.

Arastoo couldn't keep the huge smile off of his face as he made his way out of her office. When Cam passed by him and noticed his look, she figured that she probably didn't want to know what he was thinking about so she kept walking.

XXX

It was a few days later that Sweets finally figured it out. Him and Daisy were at lunch and like always, her obsession with Dr. Brennan came up in discussion.

"It's just so sweet Lance-a-lot. He holds her door open and he's always looking at her in this goofy way like she hung the moon, even though that is strictly metaphorical because the moon was formed before the Earth was populated by life so it's impossible to assume that even Dr. Brennan could have placed the moon in the position that it's in now, even though if there would be anyone who could figure out a way to do it, it would be Dr. Brennan because she's extremely brilliant and you should have seen her when we were in Maluku and all of the doctors were in awe of her and I could completely understand because I feel the same way about her and they don't even have the awesome privilege of working as closely with her as I am and I can't believe that her and Booth are finally together and I lost the bet to Wendell and it's such a shame that Vincent isn't here to see it finally happen but Booth says he's somewhere in spirit which makes no sense to me on a scientific level which is just another way in which me and Dr. Brennan are similar and I don't understand how anyone can think that after you die…" Daisy continued on in her rant not even paying attention to the fact that Sweets had frozen as she talked about something that he knew nothing about.

She didn't even notice his lack of contribution to the conversation. But that could have been because when she went into one of her rants, Sweets would just let her do all of the talking.

So she was surprised when he got up from their table and just started walking out. When she questioned him about it, he just waved his hand and ran out the door.

"Maybe it was something I said," she said with a shrug and went back to her meal.

XXX

Sweets practically ran into the Jeffersonian just a little while after he ran out of lunch. He was doing a lot of running today.

"Have either of you seen Dr. Brennan or Agent Booth recently?" he questioned Cam and Hodgins while trying to catch his breath.

"They went to lunch. What's up with you man?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah Dr. Sweets, why does it look like you ran all the way in here?" Cam questioned with one of her newly acquired mom looks.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I was at lunch with Daisy and she told me about Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth," he finished in a whisper. "You know, them finally being together."

Hodgins and Cam looked at each other, and then turned back to Sweets. And when they saw his bewildered face, they couldn't help but laugh.

Sweets of course saw nothing funny but he was smart enough to figure out that it was him they were laughing at.

"Let me guess, you both knew. Was I the last to know?" he asked in almost a full whine.

"Pretty much," Hodgins said after him and Cam had calmed down their snickers at Sweets' expense.

"How did you guys find out?" Sweets asked with still a hint of a whine in his tone.

"I found out when they told me and Cullen but Hodgins and Angela were both at the wedding," Cam said matter-of-factly.

"Wedding?" Sweets exclaimed.

"I think I need to sit down," he told them as he did just that. Once he was seated, they told him everything, marriage and baby included. They also told him what Brennan and Booth said about letting everyone find out on their own.

After he had a little time to absorb what was going on, he asked one of the many questions that were cycling around in his head.

"But why not tell me?"

"You'll just have to ask them that yourself," Cam said as her parting words before she walked off into the direction of her office.

Hodgins was already refocused on something under one of his microscopes.

Sweets felt many things after hearing all of that. He felt happy that they had finally admitted their feelings for each other and they were finally together. He was kind of sad that he wasn't there for the wedding as he felt they were close friends but he could also understand them wanting their privacy and not wanting a big wedding, which they would most definitely have had if they would have invited everyone who thought they should be there.

But the main emotion that he was feeling was hurt that they felt they couldn't tell him the way they did Angela and Hodgins. They could have told him the other day when…they were…at the… and that was the moment in which he realized that they deliberately did what they did that day just to get to him.

Now he could only feel his anger at feeling like he was played.

XXX

After returning from lunch, the happily married Booths found themselves in Brennan's office talking about what they wanted to bring to their lawyer's attention. As they were getting into whether or not they wanted to fight to have primary custody or just joint custody, Sweets barged in.

"How could you guys not tell me?" he demanded to know. And while they could see he was upset, his voice portrayed his hurt.

"What are you-" Booth tried to deflect and deny but Sweets was having none of it.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. How could you guys not tell me that you got married? Or that you're having a baby?"

"We felt that it wasn't any of your business," Brennan explained calmly.

"None of my- you guys. That was not cool," he said as he ran out of steam and fell into the empty chair in the office.

"So what you're saying is, just to make sure we know what the other is talking about, you are hurt that we didn't trust you with information that you felt you were entitled to? And that we're the ones that are in the wrong for denying you that information? Is that what you're saying?" Brennan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Once again, Sweets was nowhere near stupid so he got what she meant in a short time.

"Well, when you put it like that…I guess that means we're even Dr. Brennan?" Sweets questioned hoping that they were so that he could just be happy and not worried that she was going to do or say anything else. He had honestly hoped and thought that she had forgotten his little _experiment_ when Booth was _dead_, but then again, she did have an excellent memory.

"Yes, we are even. But we didn't intend to keep this information from you as a punishment in response to what previously happened. We just wanted to enjoy our news to ourselves as long as possible. We understand that between the Jeffersonian and the Bureau, there are numerous people who felt as though they were personally invested in our relationship status. Whether that was them being friends, internal bets or a combination of the two."

"I understand Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. I'm sorry to have disturbed you and congratulations on your joyous news. I'll see you guys later," Sweets said as he got up and walked out of the office.

And he did understand because it made a lot of sense. While Brennan was an outspoken and independent woman, she did value her privacy much like Booth. Booth was more obvious with his secrecy but they both felt that it was truly no one else's concern what was going on in their lives. And he couldn't fault them from wanting to keep their marriage and their baby to themselves.

Look at what he did when he found out. He barged in and completely disregarded them of personal space and he's sure that many others would act the same way if they hadn't already.

Shaking his head, he walked out of the Jeffersonian. He had paperwork that he could be doing.

He decided that once he calmed down, he would see that it wasn't done maliciously, they were just doing what was best for them, and could he really fault them for wanting to keep something to themselves? No, of course he couldn't.

He felt much better as he made his way back to his job.

**A/N: I know, not much was happening in this chapter, but it was critical that I had Sweets find out this chapter. My beta felt that I was too mean to him last chapter so I had to fix that because I love Sweets.**

**That pregnancy craving was described in a baby magazine so it is 100% true.**

**We'll be getting back to custody battle and the components. And who was that random guy taking pics at the end of the last chapter? I didn't get any reviews asking.**

**And if you didn't read the top A/N, if you review while signed in, I will pm you a spoiler of the next chapter. Yes this is me trying to get more reviews and I feel no shame…maybe a little…no, none at all. Lol**

**p.s. Disclaimer: for those who don't know, I'm not Hart Hanson and I don't own anything except a few of the original characters and most of them are based off of my friends so I really don't own anything. *frowny face.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I hope the spoilers were to everyone's liking. I was so blown away by the reviews. It makes me feel great to know that people actually read and take time to say something so thank you.**

**Once again, I am bribing you with spoilers to those who review. I'll pm them to the ones with accounts. To the anon reviews, I'm sorry but there's no way for me to send you one but I still very much appreciated the love you sent.**

**Once again, a huge thanks to my beta, Melissa, whom is always willing to look over my writing and tell me how mean I'm being to Sweets. But anyway, if you felt I was too mean to Sweets last chapter or if you feel I'm just mean in general, review and let me know.**

**Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Please don't sue. Thanks.**

Chapter 5

After allowing Melissa, their lawyer to set up an appointment with Rebecca and her counsel, Booth and Brennan found themselves sitting in a conference room awaiting the person who would be in charge of their mediation. This was basically a meeting to see if the two parties could come together to an agreement without involving a judge or custody hearing.

Booth wasn't too sure that Rebecca would be amicable to what he and Bones wanted to discuss, but he would give it a try so that no one could say that he didn't do right by his son and his mother. Because as much as he disliked Rebecca's use of Parker as a pawn in a game of chess, he had no choice but to respect her as the mother of one of his children.

"So this is how it's going to go. The two sides will talk as politely and respectfully as possible about all of the options available. Both I and Ms. Stinson's representation will be in the room taking notes but we won't be involved in the actual discussions. That is up to the two of you. If it escalates to the point of raised voices or insults, the court appointed mediator will dismiss us all and allow us to determine if we would want to give it another chance or if we would just rather go to court. Understand so far?" Melissa asked.

Both Brennan and Booth nodded to indicate that they were following along with her.

"Now, if we can reach an agreement today, that would be wonderful and we would have on the record what was agreed upon by each party. If we can't reach an agreement, which is quite possible, then we would discuss times to meet with a judge. From there, the judge would determine if and when a custody hearing was set. Are there any questions?" Melissa asked as she finished her explanation.

But before they could answer, Rebecca and her lawyer walked in. They all sat down on their respective sides. The mediator had already set up the tape recorder and had her pen and pad out to take notes of the meeting.

Both lawyers had their own tape recorders and writing utensils out.

After making sure that everyone was here and ready to begin, the mediator started the mediation.

"Ms. Stinson, I would like to start with you. What would you like to discuss today?"

"I would like to reduce the amount of time that I allow Seeley to see Parker," she said.

"What reason can you give that would have us allow him reduced time with his son?" the mediator asked. "Is he abusive, physically, sexually or emotionally? Does your son not feel comfortable with his father or his new step-mother?"

"I don't appreciate that he married Dr. Brennan without letting me know. What else is he keeping from me?" Rebecca questioned.

The mediator sat waiting for a second because it seemed as though there should be more that the mother had to say. But when nothing else was said, she continued on.

"So, you want to lessen his time with his son because he got married?" she asked just to clarify.

"Yes, that's correct," Rebecca nodded as though that was all that needed to be said.

"Is Dr. Brennan abusive to Parker?" the mediator asked.

"No, I just feel that Parker only needs one mother in his life and that's me. She's nice enough I guess but I'm his mother and I don't need her trying to replace me."

"Just so that I make sure I understand, you're telling me and the court that you want to shorten his time because you're jealous of his new step-mother?"

"I am not jealous. I'm just worried that they'll try to take my son away from him," she tried to clarify, not realizing that she was making herself seem crazier.

"Ok. So just so that we have all of the information for the records, I would like to ask you how you feel about this Mr. and Mrs. Booth?" the mediator asked. But before either of them could answer, a snort could be heard coming from Rebecca's side of the table.

"Is there a problem Ms. Stinson?" the mediator asked a little upset at being interrupted.

"No."

"Then we'll continue with no more interruptions."

"Well, me and Brennan, my wife, we love Parker. But my main problem is that Rebecca has always threatened to reduce my time with _our_ son," he said with the emphasis on "our".

"That's because I'm his mother and I am the one that does everything for him," Rebecca interrupted yet again.

"Ms. Stinson, if I have to remind you again to be quiet, I will cancel this meeting without any agreement in place. Do you understand?" the mediator said.

"Yes," she said.

"Good. Please continue Mr. Booth."

"As I was saying, since she found out she was pregnant, I have limited and at some times, no interactions or time with Parker. She says she does everything and that's true, but only because she doesn't allow me to do anything. I'm not even allowed to know when his games are. Unless he told me himself, I would never know. I'm a good father and I don't think it's fair to me or Parker. He needs me as his father in the same way that I need him as a son," Booth explained.

The mediator nodded to indicate that she understood as she took down her own notes in the same way that the lawyers were.

"Anything you would like to add Mrs. Booth?" she asked after she was finished writing her immediate thoughts.

"Yes actually. Booth and I have known each other for over six years and I have known Parker almost as long as that. He is an exceptionally bright boy who is quite aware of what his parents fight about and I think that it's important that he has equal time with both of them."

"So why haven't you come to the courts previously Mr. Booth for more visitation?" the mediator asked.

"Rebecca always told me that if I did, that the judge would side with her because she's the mother and we were never married. I was never sure and I wasn't willing to risk the little time I was allowed to see him. I didn't want to do anything that would lead to me not seeing him at all," Booth explained.

"My main problem was that I always took her word for it because I believed that she knew what she was talking about. It wasn't until Bones here would tell me that I had more rights that I gave more thought to it. But even then, I was hoping that we could work this out without involving a court and judge because I knew that it wouldn't do Parker any favors to put him through a hearing."

"I understand Mr. Booth."

"That's bull shit and you know it Booth. You can see Parker every two weeks and I let you get the whole weekend with him. You make it sound like I never give you any time at all," Rebecca cut in and argued.

"That's only twice a month Rebecca. That means I don't get to see him at all during the week unless you have an appointment or something in which case you tell me that if I don't come and watch him you won't let me see him. You make me out to be the babysitter instead of his father," Booth said.

Brennan sat quietly allowing Booth a chance to get it all out.

"That's it Ms. Stinson. I told you to stop interrupting. It is my decision as the mediator to direct this to a judge and allow it to proceed from there. The notes I've made and the tape recording will all be submitted to a judge and they will determine the next step. I hope you all have a nice day." And with that, the mediator left as quickly as she came in.

As angry as Booth was towards Rebecca wanting to basically strip him of any time with Parker, he was happy with the outcome of the mediation. He wish they would have reached an agreement but he knew that she wouldn't listen to reason.

Brennan on the other hand was extremely happy with how it turned out. They now had evidence and recording of Rebecca being unreasonable when it came to Booth and Parker. She could only hope that the judge saw it that way and acted accordingly.

On their way out with Melissa, they were stopped by Rebecca who was being pulled away by her lawyer.

"Don't do this Rebecca. It'll only make it worse," her lawyer tried to tell her, but she didn't listen.

"You may think you won this battle but I'll win the war. All I have to do is tell the doctor about your addiction and your violent past and you won't ever see Parker again," she sneered as she finally left the room.

Brennan badly wanted to say something back but she was smart enough to know that it would be useless. It would only lead to an argument where they would both look like arguing children instead of adults.

"What are we going to do Bones? There's a possibility that she could get full custody. I don't know if I'll survive without any contact with Parker," Booth said with a frown.

"Agent Booth, I am extremely good at my job. What I need you to do is to try and stay positive so that I can focus on winning our case. From what I have seen so far, you have a much better chance of getting more rights than you think. Ms. Stinson seems to be impulsive, impolite and interruptive. Those are qualities that a custody judge is not likely to appreciate when we go and meet him. And you can be sure that we'll be going to see them after the outbursts she had at our meeting," Melissa assured them.

"I agree with Melissa about us just looking at the positives," Brennan said.

"Well there is no one I trust more Bones so I'll listen to you. Thanks for your help Melissa."

"You're both very welcome. I'm fortunate enough to only have to work the cases I want to. That means that your case means enough to me on a more personal level for me to take it on."

"It's very fortunate that you feel that way Melissa. You are the best and I allow for nothing but the best for the instances in which I want to succeed," Brennan said.

"I'll take that as a compliment. And I'll contact you once we work out the next time to meet up."

And with that, the Booths made their way home.

**A/N: I know it's much shorter than my previous chapters but this one seemed too important to include anything else in it. We'll continue on to the rest of everyone finding out about the wedding and the baby.**

**To all of those who reviewed and received spoilers on this chapter, I hope you enjoyed them. **

**I also hope that there will continue to be more reviews and I'll be able to give even more spoilers. **

**Once again, review, let me know what you think or any suggestions you have and you'll get a spoiler messaged to you.**

**Thanks, Trisha Whitlock**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm disappointed in the amount of reviews that I'm getting for this story but I'll continue to write because I know that there are numerous people reading it and one of my pet peeves is authors who blackmail their readers into giving reviews.**

**If you don't want to leave me a review, there's not much I can do about that but to those who do take the time to write me a little something…THANK YOU!**

**So on with the story…**

Chapter 6

Brennan woke up from a deep sleep, not quite sure why she wasn't still laying down, until the pain hit her again.

The cramp reminded her of the pains she would get during her monthly cycle. That scared her. Her fear is why she reached over and shoved Booth so hard that he was reaching into the side table drawer for his gun before he was even fully awake.

"What?" he jumped up and stumbled a little when his legs got tangled into the covers.

"Booth, we need to go to the hospital," Brennan calmly said. If you didn't know her better, you would think that she hadn't a care in the world, but it was her eyes that told her husband all he wanted to know.

He desperately wanted to question her like he normally did a suspect, but he could sense that now was not the time.

"Ok. Let's go," he said without hesitation as he pulled on his sweats that lay on his side of the room and pulled on his t-shirt that he kept hanging over the end of the bed.

Brennan had gotten herself dressed after she made sure he was up so she was right behind him out the door. They barely brought anything except his wallet, her purse and his gun.

XXX

The ride over to the hospital was scarce of noise. There was the shifting of gears and Booth driving, but beyond that, there was only the sound of Brennan taking deep breathes.

She couldn't believe that this was happening. She knew the statistical likely hood of miscarriage and it the evidence pointed to the outcome of them no longer expecting their baby.

She knew that she loved her baby, but it didn't hit her until right then how much. The fear of losing her unborn child weighed heavy on her and no amount of thought was going to assure her until they were told by a medical professional that she and the baby were doing all right.

While Brennan contemplated all of the things she would do to ensure their child survived, Booth was praying harder than he could ever remember praying.

He didn't know of any logical things to think about so he listed all of the Saints that he could think of and tried to focus on the fact that they didn't deserve this. And in his mind, after years of pain and endless negativity in both of their lives, they deserved their child more than many people. He couldn't even think about losing his child. Besides what it would do to him, he knew that it would crush Bones beyond the point of return.

There would little to no chance of her wanting to go through this again if this pregnancy didn't end up with their baby at the end of these long months.

XXX

After finding parking, which wasn't that hard at 2:38 in the morning, and filling out the proper forms for the receptionist, they were sitting in the waiting room, trying not to panic.

Neither of them were doing a good job of staying calm, but before they could full out lose their minds, they were escorted into an examining room with the on-call OB/GYN.

"So what seems to be the problem Mrs. Booth?" Dr. Gomez asked them.

Booth knew that it was indeed extremely serious when instead of starting off correcting the doctor on her name, Brennan went right into her symptoms.

"I'm cramping quite heavily and I'm approximately 14 weeks pregnant," Brennan stated.

"I see. Is there any spotting or bleeding that you have noticed at all?" the doctor asked.

"No. I haven't had any discharge at all and this is the first time since my last cycle that I have felt any pains like that."

"Well, let me check for the baby's heartbeat and rule out any distress on the baby's part," Dr. Gomez said as he moved the ultrasound machine's wand around on Brennan's stomach.

The anxious soon-to-be parents waited with baited breathe to hear and see their child.

"Everything seems to be just fine," Dr. Gomez said as he turned to them with a smile.

Both of them let out simple yet powerful sighs of relief.

"If everything is ok, why the cramping?" Booth asked.

"Some women will have some minimal pain for the first few months. If it increases or occurs for too long, then we will worry," the doctor assured them.

"So you don't see any sign of the placenta un-attaching from the uterine wall? Is the placenta covering the cervical opening? Is the uterus contracting at all?" Brennan threw out questions with quick accuracy, but just as quickly as she asked them, Dr. Gomez answered them calmly and with authority.

"No, no, and no. To be more specific in answering your questions, the first question is no because there would be a lot of bleeding if the wall and the placenta were separating. And if it were covering the cervix, your regular doctor would have seen that when she did the internal ultrasound. And finally, there are absolutely no contractions or movements in the uterine muscles besides those that are necessary. It seems, in my opinion to just be a way in which your body is adjusting to the life you're growing."

"Thank you so much Dr. Gomez. Your expertise was very welcome in the brief lapse of sanity," Brennan tried to explain.

"I understand Mrs. Booth. It happens to a lot of new moms. It happened to my wife on during our first pregnancy and child. I'll tell you the same thing that her doctor told us, 'if you didn't worry, you would be a mother.'"

XXX

After going home and relaxing in bed, Brennan came to a decision.

"Booth, I wish to go and visit my mother's grave tomorrow," she said with finality.

"Wow Bones. That came out of left-field."

"After our scare today, I would just like to talk to her grave stone, even though I don't believe in life after death, I feel that it will help me with some of my residual fear," she explained.

"You don't have to explain, I understand. And I would love to come with you, if that's ok?" he asked just to make sure he wasn't on the wrong end of a Temperance Brennan bad mood.

"I would appreciate that," she whispered as she yawned and slowly fell asleep.

**A/N: Once, again, it's shorter than I want it to be but it seems wrong to put that much angst into one chapter. **

**I hope you guys would review and let me know what you think, good or bad, so that I can adjust accordingly.**

**I would also like to say sorry for those of you who reviewed the last chapter and didn't get a spoiler from me. I'm so sorry but I plan on giving those reviewers a treat that only they will receive. Throw me some ideas. Maybe an exclusive outtake or allow you to name the baby. Lol. Something like that.**

**p.s. it was too late to send this to my beta so please excuse the bad errors. Thanks. **

**Trisha Whitlock**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: The only thing that I can say about the responses and reviews is to thank you guys. It made me smile and tear up a little when I saw those amazing review alerts in my inbox.**

Chapter 7

After the scare with the doctor's office, Brennan wanted nothing more than to crawl into her mother's lap and have her play with her hair. The problem with this is that her mother has been dead for years.

Her age and independence was irrelevant to the fact that Temperance Brennan wanted her mom. If anyone but Booth were to accuse her of this, she would deny it just to avoid the pity, but she couldn't help how she felt.

For that reason, Brennan found herself sitting in front of her mother's tomb stone talking to her.

"I'm so scared about all of this mom. I wish you were here to help me address my unfounded fears but I know that wishes are logically useless. I could wish and pray to all of the Gods that exist in peoples' minds and you still wouldn't be here to talk to me about this momentous occasion in my life." Brennan sighed at the lack of contradiction to her words. If any time would be best for her to be wrong, she would want it to be that one moment.

"Angela tells me that it is normal for me to feel this way. She says that as I develop my love and affection for my own child, I will wonder about our lost relationship."

Brennan took a deep yet frustrated breathe before she continued with something she had been thinking about for a while.

"Mom, I can't help but feel both mad and understanding towards you and dad about what you did. I'm mad because I can't imagine leaving my child by themselves. I know you and dad probably thought that Russ would take care of me but you should have thought it through and made plans for alternative outcomes."

"I often wondered if you knew about my abuse at the hands of my foster parents. I use to think that only someone who hated me would ever allow me to be in those extremely damaging situations. It felt as though I was all alone while the three of you had just wished to be without the burden of me."

"But then I think about how I would feel if there were dangerous people after my child, and I'm not sure if I could leave my child the way you did me. I'm not sure if that makes me stronger or weaker than you and dad were. It seems to be a waste of time to talk to you about all of the feelings and thoughts I've had because it's not as though you can hear me," Brennan finished with a frown.

"No sweetie, but I can," she heard from behind here. She had a slight moment of panic before she realized that it was her father that stepped behind the tree.

"Dad, what are- …how much did you hear?" she questioned.

"Enough. I got here as you were telling your mom how mad you were at us for…leaving you."

"Oh." For one of the few times in history, Brennan had no idea what to say.

"So I hear I'm going to be a grandfather. And I got a son-in-law out of the deal. How did that happen sweetie?" he asked not upset but genuinely curious.

"It's a long story but we're happy," she said with a smile.

"Tempe, I am so sorry for what your mom and I did to you. You were right about so many things that you said while sitting here and I know that your mom is just as sad as me about how your life was during that time. But you have to know that if we had any thoughts that Russ wouldn't keep you or that you would end up with any of those bastards that we would have figured out a way to get back to you. Please say that you at least believe me on that," her dad said close to tears.

It was literally heartbreaking to hear any reminder about how horrible his little girl was treated when all he ever wanted was for his family to be safe and happy. She was neither and it made him want to go back and prevent his past self from ever leaving her to begin with, but he knew that sadly, the past couldn't be changed.

"I honestly can't dad. Those years, I went through things that people should never have to go through, let alone young girls. I've already forgiven you for leaving but please don't ask me to excuse what your actions led to. I know you did it to protect us and with the evidence that you had at that time, it was the most logical conclusion to leave. That's what the scientist in me says. But the woman in me, who missed her family, can't get over that abandonment."

"Tempe, I-" her dad tried to respond but she cut him off.

"No dad, I didn't intentionally bring this up to go around in rings. I just wanted you to know how I felt. I don't want to dwell on the past anymore. It's time to move on to better things in life," she said with a smile as she put her hand on her stomach.

"Circles sweetie, not rings," her dad corrected with a watery smile of affection.

And with that, Max sat down on the grass and for the first time in years, was involved in a conversation with his wife and his daughter.

XXX

After _visiting_ her mother, for lack of a better term, Brennan was ready for battle in the courtroom. When their case was called, both parties got up from their seats and moved to their designated areas.

"Case?" Judge Williams asked.

"Booth v. Stinson, in the legal and physical custody of Parker Booth," a clerk said to the judge as he handed her the file.

"Counselors, proceed."

"Your honor, my client, Ms. Stinson, wishes to receive sole custody of her son Parker because she feels that his father isn't doing what he should," Rebecca's lawyer stated.

Rebecca sat behind her table with thoughts of finally having won, while Booth and Brennan tried to remain calm after hearing what her lawyer was saying.

"Your honor, Mr. Booth has done everything for his son and coincidentally, Ms. Stinson that he thought he had to do. The only thing Mr. Booth is guilty of is being too trusting of Ms. Stinson's integrity," their lawyer Melissa stated.

"That's just not true your honor. I have been completely honest and open with Booth from the beginning," Rebecca once again interrupted.

"Counselor, I would advise you to let your client know that I do not tolerate outbursts in my court room and unless she wishes to be deemed out of order, she would do well to remember that I have little patience with rude people," Judge Williams commented without even looking at Rebecca.

Her lawyer did look at her and it can only be assumed that he told her to listen as well as he could in this situation.

"I'm sorry your honor. My client is just extremely passionate when it comes to the well-being of her son," her lawyer tried to smooth over.

"You would also do well to know that I don't like fast talkers," the judge said while raising one of her eyebrows.

"Yes, your honor. Ms. Stinson feels that Mr. and Mrs. Booth would be damaging to Parker as he is at a stage in his life where he needs stability and structure. And those are things that the Booths cannot give him sir. We move to request the sole legal and physical custody of Parker be with his mother."

With little to no hesitation, the judge had her answer ready.

"Denied. As I'm reading this file, many things jump out at me and the majority of them are not good. I move to dismiss this hearing and meet at a later date so that I can research a little more. I would advise you all to get your information in order and be ready to call witnesses. I would prefer not to draw this out any more than it needs to be. But both sides be prepared because when we next meet, there will be hell to pay for one or maybe both of you," and with that, Judge Williams banged her gavel on her counter and called for the next case.

And with that sound, trumpets might as well have been blown because war was underway and both sides had thoughts of not giving up without a fight.

**A/N: I once again can't even begin to tell you guys how much it warmed my heart to see all those reviews. And to those that choose not to review, I will still continue to write, I would just prefer it if you could spare me a few words.**

**Hope you liked the chapter. The next one, the trial starts and the gloves are coming off. And I have absolutely no idea if I got any of the legal/court stuff right. I'm just going off of tv shows mostly, so I hope I don't upset any people who actually know what they're talking about.**

**Also, let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming chapters.**

**Trisha Whitlock**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: OMG! I don't know if you guys realize how AWESOME your reviews are and how happy they make me. I have the biggest and creepiest smiles on my face as I read the reviews. And to those who honestly told me the parts they didn't like, I appreciate every single word and hope I do better with this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Honest. I don't even have an actual bed. Lol**

Chapter 8

Waiting for the arrival of their court date was stressful on all of them. But after the spectacle that Rebecca was continuously making of herself, the case was looking to end up in the Booths' favor.

The judge had mandated bi-weekly visitation for Parker to spend time with his father and by result, his step-mother, though Brennan tried to make sure that they had as much father and son time as possible.

But Rebecca refused to heed the judge's warning of not testing her so she took it upon herself to drop Parker off late and pick him up early. After so many years of bending to his ex's will, it was hard for him to go against her for fear that she would take away even more time with Parker. Luckily, his wife had no such fear. If anything, it pissed her right off.

And that's why she was marching both of them to the chambers of Judge Williams.

"What's the meaning of this Dr. Brennan? I am an extremely busy woman as I'm sure you know and understand," the judge said while sitting behind her desk.

"Yes I do understand Judge Williams, but a problematic situation has occurred and instead of calling anyone with the deluded thought that they would contact you immediately, I concluded that since you are an extremely rational and impartial person that it was best that we brought the incidence to your personal attention as soon as humanly possible."

"Ok," Judge Williams said in such a way to indicate that she should continue.

"Rebec- Ms. Stinson has been violating the visitation that you mandated for Booth to have interaction with his son."

"I see," Judge Williams said with a calm disposition as she took in a slight breathe.

Without another word being spoken she pulled out a little book from the drawer in her desk and started writing in it.

After she had been writing for no more than a minute, she told them that she would handle it and they should expect to be prepared for the court date as she was continuously collecting evidence, something that Dr. Brennan could very much appreciate.

XXX

After that fiasco, the judge saw it fit to increase the amount of time and days in the week for visitation between Parker and Booth. She also let both Rebecca and her lawyer know that if that were to happen again, she would move Parker to Booth's until the ending of the custody hearing.

After that conversation, Rebecca was sure to have Parker where he was supposed to be and at the proper times.

One day, when Booth had to go into the office for some paperwork that he needed, Parker and Brennan had another one of their honest and sharing talks.

"Bones, can I ask you a question?" Parker asked one of his most favorite people in all of the world.

"You just did. Was that all?" she said but with a smile to show him that she was joking.

"You're funny Bones, but what I wanted to ask you was whether or not it's true that you'll replace me with the new baby when it comes?" he asked in a timid voice.

"Parker, have I ever lied to you about anything?"

"No, except when dad made you, but then you would just tell me when he wasn't around."

"That's right. So listen to me as closely as you can ok?"

"Yeah," he said a little scared of what she would say.

"You are more to me that just my husband's child. You have always meant more to me than just Booth's child. I know from first hand observation and experience that sharing alleles with someone doesn't mean that you share emotional ties and connections to them," she said.

"You mean DNA?" Parker asked for clarification.

"Yes, very good. What I mean to say is that the fact that we don't have any shared DNA besides that which all human beings share with each other, I love you as though we do. It doesn't matter to me that you aren't my biological or legal son, you have been and will continue to be the first child that I found myself being motherly to. And no one, not even this new baby, can take away from how I feel about you. Do you understand?" she asked in fear that she had confused him.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. And before she could say or do anything else, she found her lap and arms full of Parker Booth.

Due to her increasing levels of hormones due to her unborn child, she felt tears come to her eyes even though she really didn't understand why she would feel the need to cry at this moment.

"Thanks Bones. You're the best," he said in a slightly muffled voice due to how hard he was hugging her.

After holding each other for a few more moments, they pulled away but stayed sitting close.

"The way I'll feel about this baby can be explained quite simply by how great my mental capacity is. The same way that my brain can process and analyze multiple neurons firing at the same time, I can love more than one child without taking away from the other."

"I understand. Thanks again Bones, for always answering my questions. Not everyone does that. When I ask my mom questions, she likes to just tell me to go to my room or she'll tell me that she'll explain later but she always forgets," he said a little frustrated.

"Well, if you ever have a question about anything, you are welcome to ask me and I will answer as honestly and completely as I am able to. And if you ever need to just talk about anything, I'll be happy to just listen without judgment or response.

XXX

"Today is the first day in the case of Stinson v. Booth. All rise for the honorable Judge Williams," the court secretary said as she read from a file.

As the Judge got herself situated, Brennan took a nice and calming breathe to prepare herself for the start of what she could calculate to be a strenuous and revealing trial.

**A/N: I once again want to think all of my lovely reviewers for keeping me motivated. I also want to let you guys know that I'm moving on Saturday so pray for me to be so bored from packing that I procrastinate by writing as much as possible.**

**I also have a question: would you guys prefer a super long chapter with the entire trial with all testimonies and evidence or would you prefer multiple chapters dedicated to the trial?**

**Review and let me know. If for some reason there is a tie between the two, I will choose which one.**

**Trisha Whitlock**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I love you guys so much!**

**After many reviews and much thought, I have decided to take the advice of a couple of you and split it into Rebecca's witnesses and the Booths' witnesses. Then there will be a chapter on the final decision and whether or not that decision will be upheld by all parties involved.**

**Sorry if this is not what you all wanted but it makes the most sense to me.**

**And thank you for the love and encouragements that I got in the reviews. It's all deeply appreciated.**

Chapter 9

"We all know why we're here today. Ms. Stinson and her representation wish to have Agent Booth's parental rights stripped. Is that correct?" she asked looking towards Rebecca's table.

"Yes, that's correct your honor," her lawyer said.

"And Agent Booth is here to increase his parental rights and wants at least joint custody both physically and legally. Is that correct Ms. Church?" the judge asked their lawyer.

"Yes your honor, that is correct."

"Ok. I just wanted to make sure that we all understand why we're here. First, I would like to start with Ms. Stinson and representation calling their first witness in their case."

"We would like to call Mr. Edward Swanson."

Both Booth and Brennan had no idea who this person was but if he was being called against him, they weren't sure how it was all going to play out.

XXX

After placing his hand on the bible to make his vow of honesty, Rebecca's lawyer started his questioning.

"Mr. Swanson, how do you know my client?"

"Ms. Stinson hired me to find out what I could about her ex and his new wife."

"Do you know why she did that?"

"She told me it was because she was scared of what could possibly be coming into contact with her son when he was with his father."

"Did you find anything that supported Ms. Stinson's fears?"

"Yes. Mr. Booth carries a loaded gun and frequently pulls it out and points it at people. I also followed Mrs. Booth and found that she trains in multiple martial arts."

"And you felt that those things were enough to assure Ms. Stinson that she was correct in her assumptions?"

"Yes."

"So what you found, just to clarify, is that Mr. and Mrs. Booth have deadly weapons and violent activities?"

"Yes sir."

"One last question, if it was your son, would you trust them with your child?"

"Objection your honor, how is this man's opinion relevant?" Melissa, Bren and Booth's lawyer, asked.

"It would help to have the opinion of someone who observed them for a great amount of time," Rebecca's lawyer argued.

"I'll allow it," Judge Williams said.

"No I wouldn't. It just seemed too dangerous for them to have a young child in their lives," the private eye answered.

"Thank you Mr. Swanson for your testimony. Your witness," he said in Melissa's direction.

"Mr. Swanson, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a private investigator." 

"When you followed Mr. Booth around and saw him pulling his gun out on people, were these people being arrested?"

"Well, yes, but not all of them."

"What about the others, were they doing something that could be perceived to be a threat to Mr. Booth's safety?"

"I suppose, but-"

"And when you were invading Mrs. Booth's privacy, did you ever see her acting violently towards any one without provocation?"

"No, but-"

"And at any point while stalking the Booths did you see them using their 'deadly weapons' and 'violence' towards children?"

"No, but that could have been becau-"

"So let me make sure _I_ get this straight Mr. Swanson. You saw a FBI agent carrying a gun and using it on suspects, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you saw a woman attending martial art classes but not bringing harm to anyone outside of the class, correct?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible that she was taking it so that she was able to know how to defend herself?"

"I guess, but-"

"So I'll ask you the same question that was asked not but a few moments ago, would you trust your child with a man who did his job correctly and a woman who knew how to defend herself?"

"I guess," he answered hesitantly.

"Nothing further your honor," and with that, Melissa just walked calmly back to her seat before the witness could say anything else.

XXX

"Next witness."

"I would like to call Hannah Burley to the stand."

With that, those in the court room who knew who that was started to talk amongst themselves.

Booth was nervous about what could be talked about. He hadn't talked to Hannah after his failed proposal and had nothing that he wished to say to her. He was also worried how Bones would react to seeing her but he shouldn't have been worried because Brennan was more than fine with it.

She was also hesitant on what reason Rebecca and her lawyer would have to call her to the stand but if she was to look at the previous evidence, it would do nothing but end up making her and Booth look better and make Rebecca look like the worse parental unit.

After making her honesty pledge, Hannah took her seat.

"Ms. Burley, could you please tell the court what your relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Booth is?"

"I use to date and live with Seeley. And Dr. Brennan and I were friends."

"How long after you were with Mr. Booth did the two of you move in together?"

"A few months."

"How long did you know Booth when he introduced you to his son Parker?"

"Once again, a few months."

"How did that meeting go?"

"It went fine. Parker was very respectful and nice to me when we talked."

"Was there every anytime in your relationship with Mr. Booth where you felt that Parker was uncomfortable with you?"

"Yes, towards the beginning but he eventually warmed up to me."

"What happened when you told Mr. Booth about Parker's hesitance towards you?"

"He said that we just needed a little more time together to get to know each other better."

"So even though his son wasn't comfortable with you, Mr. Booth continued to push the two of you together?"

"Well, yes but-"

"So it didn't influence his decision to date you that his son didn't like you? Is that what you're saying?"

"That's not what I'm saying-"

"That's what it sounds like to me."

"Objection your honor. How is it appropriate to badger your own witness?" Melissa asked.

"Sustained. I agree, let her answer the question," Judge Williams said.

"What I was trying to say was that no, Parker didn't like me at first and yes, Booth still pushed us together, but it worked out in the end because we ended up liking each other."

"How can you conclude it worked out, didn't you two break up?"

"Yes, but-"

"And didn't he end up marrying a friend of yours?" 

"Yes."

"So how can Mr. Booth be considered a good person if he dates one friend but marries another?" he asked towards those in the court room.

"No further questions your honor."

"Ms. Burley," Melissa said as she started to cross-examine.

"Yes?"

"When you were dating Mr. Booth, what type of father would you say he was to his son?"

"A great father."

"And even though the two of you didn't work out, would you say that he and Mrs. Booth are good enough people to have in Parker's life?"

"Yes, the best."

"One last thing Ms. Burley, would you like to say anything else that could be detrimental to this case?"

"Actually, yes I would. Seeley and I didn't work out but it was mainly that we weren't a proper fit for each other. The reason that him and Temperance are together and married is that they love each other. I saw that even when I was dating him. She was protective of him in the same way that he was protective of her. And the times that I was there to see the interaction between Temperance and Parker, Parker would always have a smile on his face. He looks up to her and he loves her and once called her 'the coolest person in the world', so if I had a say, I would say that Parker would be missing out without the two of them in his life more."

"Thank you. No further questions."

XXX

"Next, we would like to call Dr. Roberts to the stand."

"What is your main area of focus professionally?"

"I'm a psychologist."

"Now the reason why we brought you here today is because Mr. Booth has openly admitted to being abused for years at the hands of his father. After having a chance to look at his records, what would you say is the likely-hood that he would abuse his own child?"

"Objection your honor! This is a waste of the courts time!" Melissa said as she stood up from her chair.

"Your honor, the entire trial is about the welfare of young Parker and how safe he would be with his father when out of his mother's supervision. Shouldn't we check to see if there is a risk of abuse being aimed towards Parker?" Rebecca's lawyer asked.

"So it would be perfectly plausible for us to question if Rebecca has any violent tendencies as well?" Melissa asked.

"That is enough," Judge Williams said as she banged her gavel down. "I will not have my court room be a scene of this nonsense! Am I understood counselors?"

"Yes your honor," they both said.

"I have to agree with counsel that it is best to hear what the doctor has to say. You will have your chance to cross-examine and call your witness soon," the judge said to Melissa.

"Yes your honor."

"Finish with your questioning counselor," she said nodding to Rebecca's lawyer.

"Dr. Roberts, what would be your opinion on Mr. Booth's likely hood to be violent to his son?"

"Well, about 30 percent of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. That means that Mr. Booth is 30 percent likely to abuse his son."

"Thank you Dr. Roberts. We rest our case your honor."

That meant that it was Melissa's chance to ask her questions.

"Dr. Roberts, where did you get that statistic?"

"It is a common calculation that numerous doctors in my profession have discovered."

"So when you say 30 percent will abuse their own kids, you are also saying that 70 percent won't? Is that correct?"

"Well, yes-"

"That's all. Thank you. No further questions your honor."

**A/N: Once again, the next chapter will be Booth and Bren's witnesses. We'll also hear from one other person. I did look up that 30% so it is accurate.**

**It's my birthday today, the 21 st of July, so I'm happy that I got this done in time to make sure my lovely readers got their chapter.**

**Hope I did the Hannah part good enough. I am by NO means a fan of hers it just came out this way. I figured Booth didn't need two crazy exes in this story. That would a little bit of overkill.**

**Review and let me know what you think. **

**Trisha Whitlock-on her 23 rd birthday. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I LOVE you guys! The reviews are steadily climbing and it warms my heart to read the honest and open opinions you guys have for my story. It's much appreciated.**

**So hope you enjoy and there's another note at the end, like always. I just can't shut up. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing except some flip-flops and a toothbrush. *sad face**

Chapter 10

After a short recess, it was the Booths' turn to call their witnesses. They had thought about and talked out loud about who they should and shouldn't call. As much as they all loved Max, they didn't want any of his past influencing the court in anyway.

There was also talk about calling Sweets on to the stand but they didn't want Rebecca's lawyer to ask the wrong questions that could lead to them looking like crazy people who had to go to counseling every week. Even if it was for work, they didn't want to take that chance.

There was Cam, but she could be said to be influenced by being Booth's ex. Jared could be called out on his alcohol abuse and they didn't want that. Then there were the numerous victims that they had saved and the family members that were given peace but they didn't want to use them for something like this. It probably would have made them look much better as people but they didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. And since Rebecca had done nothing but make herself look incompetent, Brennan's word for it, they didn't fear losing as much as when this all started so there was no need to bring out the big guns just yet.

Melissa, their attorney, stood up and said, "We would like to call our first and only witness to the stand, Temperance Brennan-Booth."

With that, there was a drastic level increase of talking throughout the courtroom. It seemed to be not enough to just call Brennan to some of them and they weren't sure how the trial was going to go with just one witness.

After vowing to tell the truth, Melissa started her questioning.

"Dr. Brennan-Booth, how would you classify your relationship with Parker Booth?"

"Parker and I have a unique and understanding relationship."

"Could you please elaborate with the court on what you mean specifically?"

"Yes. Parker is my step-son but before his father and I got together and married, he was the son of my partner. I have been privileged to see him grow from that little boy so many years ago into an educated, well-mannered and caring young man."

"What do you mean when you said unique?"

"I meant our relationship is specially tailored to the two of us. I was one of the first people to not treat him as a child and he was one of the first people who had treated me with caring instead of bizarrely in reaction to the way that I speak and present myself.

"When I said understanding, I meant that at his age, he is used to being talked down to while I talk to him as the young man that he is. He finds comfort in my ability to address him for who he is as opposed to how old he is. And in the same way I treat him differently than others, he treats me the same way. We made an agreement years ago for me to never lie to him. He dislikes liars as much as I do and he doesn't appreciate being kept out of matters that have to do with him. For that reason, we are always honest with each other."

"And even though you are married to his father, you wished to have interaction with him before you married your husband? Please explain why you would want to interact with a child when you were surrounded by adults."

"It's quite simple actually. Parker is always thirsty for knowledge. Whenever we spend time together, he wants to learn and see things that interest him. I find his want for information refreshing and amazing in someone his age," she said with a smile thinking back to the times when the two of them would do something educational together.

"Could you give us an example?"

"Numerous examples could be given but there was this one time that the three of us went to the museum, the one I work at, and he desperately wanted to go the dinosaur exhibit. Booth, his father, wanted to go because he said, and I quote, that it would be 'cool'. At the time, I was unaware that 'cool' was the proposed equivalent of interesting. When we were standing in front of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Booth asked Parker if he thought the dinosaurs arms were short because he liked to give hugs." At that, the court gave a light chuckle at Booth's childlike thoughts.

"And before I could correct Booth, Parker said that it made more sense for the arms to be equal to the vestigial tail of modern humans, and that the arms were probably no longer needed and were being selected against in reproduction. When Booth asked him where he got that answer from, he turned to me and said, 'Bones told me about it when she read me that dinosaur book'. What I found astonishing about that particular moment was that I had read him that book more than three weeks ago and he cared enough to remember all the details, including the bigger and harder words."

"So what you're saying is, you and Parker share the want of knowledge and information?"

"Yes. He is an exceptional boy and his father, as well as myself, would greatly appreciate more time with him."

"No further questions right now your honor, but I reserve the right to question later."

"Understood. Counselor, your witness," Judge Williams said to Rebecca's lawyer.

"Dr. Booth, how would you describe your feelings toward my client Ms. Stinson?"

"I would describe my feelings toward her as dislike and indifference."

"Could you explain why you hate her?"

"Objection your honor, Dr. Booth never said the word hate," Melissa said as she stood up.

"It appeared to me to be what she said she felt toward my client," Rebecca's lawyer said.

"That's enough. Sustained and don't let it happen again counselor."

"Yes your honor. Dr. Booth, why do you dislike the mother of your step-son?"

"I dislike her want to manipulate both Parker and his father. She should be more appreciative about the fact that the father of her child is a loving and caring man who would die for her son. There are woman throughout the world who have no contact because either the father doesn't want any or he's such an evil person that the mother doesn't wish her child to have contact."

"How do you expect to have a relationship with Parker and you can't even get along with his mother?"

"I am an adult who knows how to censor myself."

"You say that now but not a few minutes ago, you spoke of your arrangement to be fully honest with Parker no matter what. What if he were to ask you why you don't like his mother?"

"He has already asked me something of that sort."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him that honestly, his mother and his father should both work towards his happiness, no matter their own opinions."

"You just always have the perfectly rehearsed answer don't you?" Rebecca could be heard sneering at her seat. She was probably trying to say it under her breathe, but it came out much louder.

"Excuse me Ms. Stinson? Didn't we already have a conversation about your attitude?" the judge asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Finish your questioning counselor."

"I only have one last question, how do you expect to be a good step-mother to Parker if you don't have children of your own?"

"The same way any new parent does. Through trial and error to find out what works best for each particular child. Both Booth and Rebecca were first time parents and as messed up as they both allowed their relationship to get, they are still learning what is right for them and their child."

"No more questions your honor."

"Redirect Ms. Church?" the judge asked Melissa.

"Yes your honor, but just one quick and final question. Temperance, does Parker not being biologically yours affect the way you feel about him?"

"Not at all. Parker was the first child I ever loved. And he will remain loved by me until I draw my last breathe and no longer have cognitive thought," Brennan said with a smile.

"We rest our case your honor."

XXX

After Brennan took her seat, the judge spoke.

"After all testimonies and evidence presented, I would like to recess to decide," she said with a bang on her gavel.

With that, Judge Williams walked from the podium to her private chambers. Without the judge there, Rebecca stormed over ready to give the two of them a piece of her mind, but she was stopped before she could say a word.

"If you love your son as much as you seem to think you do, you will return to your seat, sit down and wait for the judge to instruct you further," Brennan calmly said as she stood and stared Rebecca in the eyes with our a flicker of fear or doubt.

But before Rebecca could make her choice on if she would listen or not, the bailiff, walked up to them and said, "The judge is requesting all of the involved parties to convene in her quarters.

It just seemed to never end. What did the judge want to tell them that couldn't be said in the courtroom?

**A/N: I can't even begin to tell you guys how nervous this chapter made me. I had so many ideas on who should speak on behalf of Booth and Brennan, but I obviously decided on just Brennan for poetic symmetry or something. I don't know. I may regret it in the morning.**

**But PLEASE review and let me know what you thought of her being the only witness and if you liked what she said. Also, let me know what you think the judge will decide.**

**p.s. I know this isn't anywhere near legally accurate but just bear with me for a little longer and we'll be done with the courts and legalities of it all. **

**Thanks, Trisha Whitlock**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm excited and nervous about this chapter. **

**Thanks so much for the amount of reviews; it warms my heart to read each and every one of them.**

**Read and review to let me know how you feel about what I've done with this chapter.**

Chapter 11

All of the involved parties were standing in Judge Williams' quarters awaiting her decision. It only took a minute for them all to be aware of the door opening and someone none of them knew walking in and handing the judge a DVD before leaving the way they came.

Without saying a word, she turns and puts it into a DVD player that is attached to a TV that is sitting on a stand.

After pressing play, they were all made aware of exactly why they did this in the comfort of the judge's chambers. It was Parker, Judge Williams and a nice looking woman who Brennan assumed to be Parker's child advocate. It was set up in the way of an interview but not as harsh as an interrogation.

"Do you know why you're here Parker?" Judge Williams asked him with a smile that put him at ease from what everyone could see.

"Yes, my parents explained that you might want to talk to me about my opinion."

"Was it your mom or your dad who explained this to you?"

"It was my step-mom, Bones. She told me that in the cases like this, I'm old enough to let you know what I think."

"Did she tell you what to say when you talked to me? And remember, we have to tell the truth when we talk about these things ok?"

"I know. And Bones told me that I should be honest and say how I really feel. I told her that I didn't want to hurt my mom or dad's feelings by being honest but she told me that they both love me enough to know I'm just telling the truth."

"Your step-mom sounds really smart."

"She is. She's a genius. She knows everything and she helps me with my homework when I can't figure it out and she cooks my favorite foods and she teaches me how to cook things and we read books together and she takes me to museums and zoos and she's just awesome," he finished with a huge smile on his face.

"So how do you feel about your step-mom?"

"She's my best friend."

"So has she ever done anything to make you uncomfortable or feel bad?"

"NO! Bones is awesome. She always makes me feel like I'm important even though she's not my real mom. I kind of wish she was my mom though," he said the last part with a whisper.

"Did you mean that?" the judge asked because she heard his whisper.

"Yes but I meant…" he seemed unable to finish his thought out loud.

"We said this is a place of honesty remember. Now please tell me why you said that? Has your mother ever done anything to you that made you feel uncomfortable?"

"Not really…it's just that sometimes, she's really busy. Sometimes it's work and other times, it's her boyfriends," he said in a low voice to indicate that he really didn't want to talk about it. But the judge had to do her job.

"Does she have a lot of boyfriends?"

"Yeah," he whispered with his head down.

"How does it make you feel when she has new boyfriends? Have any of them ever hurt you?"

"No, none have ever hurt me. But some of them are nicer than others. Some call me names and some just ignore me. I rather they just ignore me because they'll be gone soon anyway." At this point, he started to cry a little.

"When she gets new boyfriends all the time, it makes me sad because it's never just me and her doing things. She always has one of her boyfriends with us. If we go out to eat or to the park, I'll be by myself while she talking with them. And when we're at home, if they move in, I stay in my room a lot so that I don't have to see them," he finished with a sniffle.

"If you had to choose, who would you rather live with, your mom or your dad?"

"I want to live with my dad. He's like superman and now that Bones lives with him, we can be a real family. And Bones always spends time with me. Sometimes me and dad will go play ball just the two of us and other times, if he's still at work, Bones will watch movies with me and let me tell her jokes. And we even do things with all three of us. I never feel left out or alone when I'm with them."

"You wouldn't want to live with your mom?"

"No," he whispered.

"I know my mom loves me, but I know she doesn't really like me. She always talks about how she would do anything to keep my dad from getting me but she's always so mean to him when he comes to get me or calls for me. She's always screaming at him and telling him that she'll never let him see me and it makes me cry because dad is great and I love him."

"Do you love your mom?"

"…yeah, but I don't want to live with her anymore. Will I get in trouble for saying that?" he asked a little panicked.

"No sweetie. You did real well. Anything else you want to tell me about your parents?"

"No, that's it. Can I go now?" he asked.

"Yes sir, you can go now."

Then the TV screen went black.

Turning from the TV screen to the other occupants of the room, Judge Williams could see the looks of varying emotion on everyone's face.

"Before anything is said, I would like to point out that in no way was Parker coerced into saying anything but what he personally thought and felt. And on that note, I would like to give my final decision. In the case of Seeley Booth vs. Rebecca Stinson, I side with Parker Booth. He is the most important in this case and I have decided to listen to him and grant his wish. I give full custody to Mr. Booth. Ms. Stinson, you still have some rights to your son and visitation but Mr. Booth will from here on out be his primary care giver. And in the same way Mr. Booth had to pay child support, it will now be your responsibility to provide Parker with monetary compensation."

At this Rebecca had a look of horror on her face. "You mean I lost?"

"If that's the way you want to see it, than yes, you lost. Parker Booth is an exceptional young man who is quite clear on what he wants, and who am I to argue with that. It seems that the only person who wasn't willing to listen to him was you Ms. Stinson. And as a mother myself, it seems deplorable for you to not put the needs of your child above all else. Even Dr. Brennan, who is not any blood relation to him, means more to him than you and that speaks volumes."

As Rebecca's lawyer was talking to her about their next move, and Booth was sitting quite surprised that he would fully have his son, Brennan was quietly thinking over all the things that they needed to do now that they would be having Parker on a full time basis.

"NO! You know what, I don't want any rights to him. If he wants that woman as a mother," she sneered as she pointed to Brennan, "then he can have her as one. I'll have my lawyer draw up the papers to have my parental rights fully revoked. And since I won't have to take care of him anymore, I can finally move out of this God-forsaken town and move on to bigger and better things," she finished her rant with an eye-roll and stomped out of the judge's chambers.

"Just make sure she signs these papers as soon as possible and if they aren't on my desk within the hour, I will take drastic measures," the judge warned as she handed Rebecca's lawyers a stack of paper.

"Yes your honor," he said as he too took off out of the door, but with less attitude than his client.

"So congratulations are in order to you Mr. Booth," the judge said with a smile.

"You have an incredible little boy."

"He sure does," Brennan said while hugging her husband in triumph.

"No, we do. How soon after Rebecca signs the papers terminating her rights can we get Bones to adopt Parker?" Booth asked the judge.

"Booth, are you sure?"

"You heard Parker, he wishes you were his mother. Who am I to stop that from happening?" he answered with a smile.

And that was the point in which their family really started to become whole.

**A/N: I love this chapter! It's super awesome and I can't wait to hear how you guys felt about it. I know it's not the most realistic seeing as how Rebecca wasn't abusive but it is my story and this is how I wanted it to be.**

**Don't let the last line fool you, I still have so much I want to do with them. There's Parker's reaction and feeling towards all of this, their new house, the baby, and everyday life. But don't hesitate to let me know if it starts to get a little mundane after a while. I hope to not bore you too much to the end but I love the idea of one big happy, blended family.**

**Trisha Whitlock**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Long story short, I am now working two jobs so updates will be as frequent as humanly possible. I will try my hardest to keep up with the weekly updates, but on the days that I have to work both jobs, all I want to do is go to sleep.**

**But the reviews that you guys give me keep me going so I am always in appreciation of that. **

**Because of time, this chapter won't be as long as I originally wanted it to be but I will try to make the next one super long. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but two tired feet that are tired of working. lol**

Chapter 12

Seeing Parker's tears set off a chain reaction that had Brennan crying. That just pissed off Booth even more at Rebecca because the two most important people to him were upset. Three, if you counted the baby feeling its mother's anguish.

"It's okay Parker. We'll get through this together," Brennan tried to reassure him through her tears.

"But why doesn't she want me anymore? I thought that moms were supposed to love their kids," he said in a little voice filled with anguish.

"Bud, sometimes-" Booth started to try and explain but Brennan cut him off.

"Parker, sometimes, the people that are related to you through genetics aren't always the best at taking care of you. In those instances, there are others that take the role of caregiver. Do you understand?" she asked.

"I think so. So since my mom won't take care of me anymore, will you do it?" he asked while looking up at her with his big brown eyes that were the exact same shade as his father.

"Nothing would make me happier than taking care of you. I love you Parker."

"I love you too Bones," he said as he threw himself into her arms.

Brennan had never hugged someone so hard in her life as far as she could remember. At one point he complained about it being too long a hug so she let him go, reluctantly.

"So for our first decision as a family, what do we want for dinner?" Booth asked to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Chinese!" Parker exclaimed with excitement.

"I agree with Parker," Brennan said with a smile.

"And I wanted pizza, so I guess I'm out numbered," Booth said with a pout.

"Yes, yes you are," Brennan said with a smirk.

XXX

After a dinner of take out and fun conversation, Booth went to go and take a shower while Brennan put Parker to bed after his bath.

"Bones?"

"Yes Parker?"

"Are you going to be my mom from now on?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Is that ok with you?"

"It's great. Is it wrong that I'm happy that you'll be my mom now?"

"Parker, you should never feel bad for the way you feel. And you should never allow anyone else to make you feel bad. Your feelings are yours and yours alone and shouldn't be based on how anyone else will react. When you talked to Judge Williams, you told her how you felt. And even though Rebecca didn't like it, don't feel bad for telling the truth."

"Ok. Thanks Bones, you always know what to say," he said with pride.

"Well, let's get you to sleep because we have lots of things to do tomorrow."

After tucking him in and giving him a kiss on the forehead, she made her way to the door.

As she was turning off the light she said, "Goodnight Parker."

And just as she was leaving the door cracked, she heard him say, "Goodnight mom."

It warmed her in a way that nothing else ever had.

XXX

"We have so much to do tomorrow Booth. We have got to find a house soon that has enough room for all four of us. Then we have to go and talk to Melissa about all of the paperwork concerning Rebecca's rights and my adoption of Parker. Then we have to change his schools for the upcoming school year. Then we have to get him into the Jeffersonian day care because it'll be safer and more educational than any day care that he's been in before. Then we have to get his stuff from Rebecca's and sort through it. Then we have to get him whatever he needs from the store. Then we have to sit down and let all of our friends and families know the details so that they don't say anything inappropriate around him. Then we have to set up my next OB appointment with Dr. Bennett to check on the baby. There's so much to do," she said a little exasperated as she lay in the bed with the big comfy pillows.

"Yeah, there is, but Bones, the two of us can do anything. And we will do everything we need to and if for some reason we are unable to finish it all, we could always put it off for a little bit, except the legal and medical things. Those have to be done."

"Speaking of things we need to do, we haven't decided on baby names for either sex yet."

"That's because you can't appreciate my naming skills," he said with a smile.

"No, I just don't think you are being as serious as you need to be."

"I was just joking around Bones. I wouldn't want to name our child Squint," he said with a laugh.

"You're laughing but a name is the start of a person's life. Their name can both open and close doors for them in the same way that an education can. It may not make much sense, but anthropologically speaking, a name is the first thing people associate with you so it has to be something memorable but tasteful. I would also like our child to like their name and not be ashamed of it."

"I get it Bones, I was just joking though. You know that right?"

"Yes. But take Parker for instance. When people ask him how he got his name or what it stands for, he can proudly tell them that he was named for a brave solider that helped save his father's life. Don't you think that will mean something to him later on in life?"

"Yeah Bones, I get it. So how about, we sleep on it, then discuss our thoughts on names tomorrow as we're doing all the running around we need to do?"

"I like that idea. And Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"You may be the father and are allowed input, but I get final say on the name, understand?" she asked with a raised eyebrow that made Booth think he was in trouble.

"Sure Bones, whatever you say."

**A/N: so once again, we have more Brennan and Parker interaction. And now that Parker is where he should be, we move on the more focus on the family as a whole and the newest member that will be joining them in some months. **

**Make sure to review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.**

**Thanks**

**Trisha Whitlock**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Every week, I'm blown away by the love I get in the form of reviews.**

**This chapter skips time and has no mention of Rebecca. This is about people we actually like so let me know what you think about the chapter full of fluff. lol**

Chapter 13

_*5 months later_

Adjusting to yet another person living with her, Temperance Brennan couldn't be happier.

Finding a bigger place was easier said than done but with her money and Booth willing to make any repairs needed, they moved into a five bedroom, four bedroom house with a basement attachment acting as the guest quarters. And they both couldn't wait until they could fill their home with more sounds of children.

Booth was extremely hesitant to make any more drastic decisions that could lead to Parker thinking things were moving too fast. But he shouldn't have been worried because even though Brennan wasn't his mother by blood, he had learned to adapt quickly in the same way that she did.

It was actually quite amazing how similar the two of them were. To an outsider, Booth would appear to be the step-parent. And that was a fact that warmed him greatly.

XXX

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?" he asked distracted by the game him and Parker were playing in the living room.

"Do you know where my hospital bag is?" she calmly asked.

"Hallway closet. Why? Need to pack something else into it?" he asked.

"No. I just need it because my water broke and we need to go to the hospital."

"Bones, that's not funny. You still have 4 more weeks."

"Why would I joke about going into labor early? Does that seem like something that _I_ would do?" she said as she started moving towards the front door with her bag in hand.

"No…-Oh My God! Parker, the baby's coming. We have to go!" At that, the game they were playing was forgotten for more important things.

XXX

The car ride to the hospital was eventful.

"I'm finding your reaction to my early on-set of labor to be very humorous," Brennan said with a chuckle.

"Laugh it up Bones. I'm freaking out over here. Last time I did this, I came after it was all over and then was gone before I could do anything else. I'm going to be there for the whole thing this time and it's a little scary. Aren't you scared?" he asked as they made their way to the hospital.

"I am a little bit afraid of what Dr. Bennett has to say about my early admittance to the hospital due to the breaking of my water. I'm happy to say though that as the rest of it has slowly leaked out that the fluid is clear and there is no evidence of blood or discoloration that I can see."

"Are you ok mom?" Parker asked. Hearing him call her that was no longer as surprising as it was when he first started to do it. With him living with them full time and the adoption freshly official, it was just another thing that was a part of their everyday life.

"I'm fine sweetie. I'm just in a bit of discomfort due to my cervix dilating to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal. It's a natural but painful thing. And we'll both be fine. Ok?" she tried to explain and reassure both of her guys of her words.

"Ok mom."

XXX

"Oh God Booth! This hurts more than Angela told me it would," she said while panting in between contractions and pushing.

"Maybe that's because you decided to do it without any pain medication at all. I told you that it wouldn't make you weak to accept some medicinal help."

"Shut up Booth! I don't want to hear how I should have listened to you ok?"

"Sorry Bones. I love you and you are the strongest woman I know. Both physically and mentally and if anyone can do this, it's you."

"With this next contraction, I want you to bear down with your bottom and push, ok Brennan? We have to get these shoulders out," Dr. Bennett told her from her position in between Brennan's legs.

With the sudden increase in pain and pressure, all Brennan could do was nod as she took a deep breath and did exactly what her doctor told her to do.

And with that final push, little baby Booth was brought into the world covered in mucous and vaginal fluids. It was all quite disgusting to think about but all Booth could think about was how beautiful his little girl was.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Bennett said as she placed the baby onto Brennan's stomach so that she could deliver the after birth. A nurse was right there with a clean cloth to clean off the baby as much as possible.

"She barely needed any suctioning, she was crying before she was all the way out," Dr. Bennett said with a laugh.

"She's like her mother that way. Needing to be heard over everyone else because she just knows that what she has to say is more important," Booth said with pride in his voice and tears in his eyes as he gazed down at his daughter.

"How you feeling Bones?" he asked his wife but she was in her own little staring contest with her child.

Brennan could hear the words that the doctor was saying about how she had a little tear and they had to sew it up and then get rid of the after birth. She was able to understand that Booth was asked and accepted the job of cutting the umbilical cord. But all she could focus on was her little girl.

She made sure to count her fingers and toes, check her coloring and anything else she could think of. She had read about the majority of women being tired after labor, especially natural labor, but she felt too excited to sleep.

When the nurse had to take her for her weighing, measuring, testing and other newborn things, Brennan leaned back in her bed and just pondered the fact that she had just had a baby. And that thought, brought a smile to her face so suddenly that Booth thought she might have been slipped some drugs after all.

XXX

After cleaning up both the mother and baby, Parker Booth made his way into the room with his Aunt Angela, Uncle Jack and Cousin Michael. While the Hodgins family stayed along the wall a bit, Parker walked right up to his family waiting for his introduction.

"Parker, let me be the first to introduce you to your little sister, Serena Christine Booth," Brennan said with a smile.

"Serena. I like it. What does it mean?" he asked as he looked down at his newest family member.

"It means composed, peaceful and cheerful. All traits that I wish for her to be. And Christine was my mother's name."

"Hi Serena. I'm Parker and I'm going to be the best little brother in the world," he said.

**A/N: I'm not sure if I should just write the epilogue or keep writing. I feel like it could go either way, but please review and let me know what you think I should do.**

**Trisha Whitlock**


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